Jane Campion's Bright Star - Film Review
Abbie Cornish Shines in Romantic Drama from Director of The Piano
Sep 24, 2009
Writer and director Jane Campion breaks her six year-long cinematic silence, with her graceful and attractive historical romance, Bright Star. While, Campion might agree she is no Jane Austen, she has without doubt created a quick-tongued and independently-minded character in Fanny Brawne.
Fanny, the dressed-to-kill 18 year old neighbor of the romantic English poet, John Keats, is played masterfully by Abbie Cornish (A Good Year, Elizabeth: The Golden Age). Ben Whishaw (I'm Not There, Brideshead Revisited) who portrays the adoring Keats, is definitely to swoon for.
A Portrait of Love and Loss
Keats' younger brother, Tom, is dying of tuberculosis in a London hospital. To stay near to him, Keats is the house guest of friend, Charles Armitage Brown (Paul Schneider). Brown lives at the Wentworth House in Hampstead, which he shares with another household, headed by the widowed Mrs. Brawne (Kerry Fox).
Fanny (Cornish) is the eldest of the Brawne children, and is constantly chaperoned by her two younger siblings. The voguish young woman prefers stitching fashions of her own design to the poetry that stirs her gentlemen neighbors.
Fanny is touched by Keats’ anguish over the illness of sibling, and helps to comfort Tom in his last days. In gratitude, Keats agrees to Fanny's request to tutor her in poetry, which she readily confesses not to understand.
An Unstoppable Romantic Obsession
Soon the spirited teacher and his devoted student develop a strong and passionate connection. This greatly troubles both Fanny’s mother and Keats’ best friend Brown. The penniless and not-yet celebrated bard could not receive Mrs. Brawne's consent to their marriage. Brown resents Fanny, and views her as a reckless distraction that had put off Keats from finishing his book.
Keats departs from Hampstead, but, like Fanny, he could not deny his powerful feelings. They keep in touch through love letters. Conceding to the intensity of their passionate relationship, Fanny’s mother relents, and agreed to their martial engagement. Alas, another obstacle would keep the lovers apart.
The Cast and Crew of Bright Star
Bright Star stars Abbie Cornish (A Good Year, Elizabeth: The Golden Age and Stop-Loss), Ben Whishaw (I'm Not There, Brideshead Revisited, The International), Paul Schneider (Away We Go, Lars and the Real Girl, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford) and Kerry Fox.
Written and directed by Jane Campion (The Piano, Portrait of A Lady, Holy Smoke, In The Cut). Cinematography by Greig Fraser. Edited by Alexandre de Franceschi A.S.E. Production design and costume design by Janet Patterson. Music composed by Mark Bradshaw.
Produced by Jan Chapman and Caroline Hewitt. Executive producers are Francoise Ivernel, Cameron McCracken, Christen Langan, and David M. Thompson. U.S. release by Apparition, the independent distribution company newly formed by Bob Berney and Bill Pohland.
(Running Time: 119 min)
(Rated: PG; for Thematic Elements, Some Sensuality, Brief Language and Incidental Smoking.)
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